Detailed study of correlations between neck pain and curvature finds none
Four pages on PainSci cite Grob 2007: 1. The Complete Guide to Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain 2. Does Posture Matter? 3. The Complete Guide to Neck Pain & Cricks 4. Your Back Is Not Out of Alignment
PainSci commentary on Grob 2007: ?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided wherever possible.
Perhaps this paper should be titled: “The lack of association between cervical spine curvature and neck pain.” In 2007, Swiss researchers examined “the correlation between the presence of neck pain and alterations of the normal cervical lordosis,” and this was probably “the first study to explicitly examine these relationships in detail.”
Many therapists assume that there is not only a correlation but a causal relationship, a classic example of structuralism. However, looking at more than 50 patients with and 50 without neck pain — a large enough study to be meaningful — the researchers found “no significant difference between the two groups could be found in relation to the global curvature, the segmental angles, or the incidence of straight-spine or kyphotic deformity.” Thus they concluded that “the presence of such structural abnormalities in the patient with neck pain must be considered coincidental, i.e. not necessarily indicative of the cause of pain.”
See also some substantive criticism of this paper.
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
Degenerative changes of the cervical spine are commonly accompanied by a reduction or loss of the segmental or global lordosis, and are often considered to be a cause of neck pain. Nonetheless, such changes may also remain clinically silent. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between the presence of neck pain and alterations of the normal cervical lordosis in people aged over 45 years. One hundred and seven volunteers, who were otherwise undergoing treatment for lower extremity problems in our hospital, took part. Sagittal radiographs of the cervical spine were taken and a questionnaire was completed, enquiring about neck pain and disability in the last 12 months. Based on the latter, subjects were divided into a group with neck pain (N = 54) and a group without neck pain (N = 53). The global curvature of the cervical spine (C2-C7) and each segmental angle were measured from the radiographs, using the posterior tangent method, and examined in relation to neck complaints. No significant difference between the two groups could be found in relation to the global curvature, the segmental angles, or the incidence of straight-spine or kyphotic deformity (P> 0.05). Twenty-three per cent of the people with neck pain and 17% of those without neck pain showed a segmental kyphosis deformity of more than 4 degrees in at least one segment--most frequently at C4/5, closely followed by C5/6 and C3/4. The average segmental angle at the kyphotic level was 6.5 degrees in the pain group and 6.3 degrees in the group without pain, with a range of 5-10 degrees in each group. In the group with neck pain, there was no association between any of the clinical characteristics (duration, frequency, intensity of pain; radiating pain; sensory/motor disturbances; disability; healthcare utilisation) and either global cervical curvature or segmental angles. The presence of such structural abnormalities in the patient with neck pain must be considered coincidental, i.e. not necessarily indicative of the cause of pain. This should be given due consideration in the differential diagnosis of patients with neck pain.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
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- Recovery trajectories in common musculoskeletal complaints by diagnosis contra prognostic phenotypes. Aasdahl 2021 BMC Musculoskelet Disord.
- Cannabidiol (CBD) products for pain: ineffective, expensive, and with potential harms. Moore 2023 J Pain.
- Moderators of the effect of therapeutic exercise for knee and hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Holden 2023 The Lancet Rheumatology.
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